Concerns Over Food Ration Cards in Iraq

The Planning and Cooperation Development ministry stated on Tuesday that the ration card file will be completely managed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs instead of the Trade ministry in early 2014, indicating that the file is affecting Iraq economically and hindering the conclusion of international conventions.

Mahdi al-Allak, the Undersecretary of the ministry told AKnews that the ration card items will be ditributed among the poor and the needy only.

"The government reduced the ration card items in 2010 and will be be distributed to senior state officials and business men during the current year."

"The government will, according to its abilities, show the effects of the ration card items until it is spread only among the poor registered in the social welfare services."

The Trade Ministry has developed a new plan that includes withholding the ration cards for government employees who earn salaries that are more than 1.5 million Iraqi dinars, and it reduced the ration card items to four items according to the ministry's plan last year.

The ration card system was adopted in Iraq after the UN Security Council Resolution No. 661 on August 6 - 1990, to impose economic sanctions on Iraq following its invasion of Kuwait.

The financial allocations for the ration card in 2010 budget reached 3.5 trillion dinars (about $2.9 billion) and the 2009 allocations for the ration card reached four trillion dinars.

(Source: AKnews)